TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- After it was all over, after another blowout loss
to Alabama put the final touches on the school's worst season in six decades,
Auburn's players emerged from the locker room and tried to make sense of a
disastrous year.

Faced with a barrage of questions about whether or not Gene
Chizik is the man to pull Auburn out of this hole, the Tigers stood united on
one key point.

The Tigers want Chizik and his coaching staff back.

"He should be back," quarterback Jonathan Wallace said.
"They know exactly where this program needs to go, and they know what to do. I
hope they are back next year. I really have no doubt. I really do believe they
will be."

Asked to explain how Auburn (3-9, 0-8) spiraled out of control,
most players found themselves at a loss for words.

All of Auburn's foibles were on display in the Iron Bowl. The
Tigers committed eight penalties, turned it over three times, missed tackles, repeatedly
gave up the deep ball and never pushed a drive past the Alabama 40.

For a team that finished 2011 8-5 and opened 2012 with lofty
expectations, the 3-9 finish left most Tigers a little shell-shocked.

"I'm not sure, because we all had the same expectations,"
running back Tre Mason said. "We all wanted to go far, and some things
happened, and everything went wrong. We tried to fix it."

The Tigers have repeatedly refused any questions about the
team quitting on Chizik.

Auburn, according to the players, has kept fighting despite
the team's shift from playing LSU tough to losing three games to the SEC's
elite in Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama by a combined score of 150-21.

"I don't think there are any quitters on our team," Mason
said.

But the hard truth is that the worst season Auburn has
endured could claim Chizik's job. Asked about that possibility, the Tigers left
the decision up to the administration.

Auburn president Jay Gogue has said he will evaluate the
program at the end of the season, but a coaching change could force some hard
decisions for returning Tigers.

Any coaching search brings the possibility of attrition as
players try to build relationships with a new staff.

Wallace, for his part, said he would not transfer, and
several Tigers echoed Wallace's willingness to work toward rebuilding the
program, regardless of whether or not Chizik is the head coach.

"You know, it would hurt, but at the same time, it's
something that you sign up for when you get to college," defensive tackle
Angelo Blackson said. "Coaching change is a part of the game. We just want to
keep taking the right steps to get this back on track."